With age comes wisdom.........

[Critter]

Wisdom or common sense......not sure which it is. I had a friend of mine take a fall from a ladder this past week and ended up in a coma for a few days. I guess that was enough for me to finally realize that I'm probably not invinceable, and that a fall from any of my tree stands would not result in a good situation.
Yesterday I went out and bought 300' of military grade rope and cut it in 30' sections. I've talked about putting life lines on my stands for a couple years now, but evidently was too lazy to do it. Most of my stands are in the clouds, and some are a little difficult to access, especially in the dark, so these will be well worth the money spent.
I'm not sure what the percentage is, but I've always heard most falls occur while ascending, or descending your stand. A simple rope and a prusik knot might prevent you from landing on your head..........just something to think about.:way:

 

[fatboy]

Hope everything works out for your friend. I also had a buddy the fell from a ladder at work several years ago and is now on disability and cannot work or enjoy the woods anymore. I was just on my companies website and seen a link about a hunter in Wisconsin that was found dead under his stand with no harness on.

 

[nannyslayer]

I'm with you on this one buddy. This will be my first year wearing a safety harness.

 

[Critter]

I'm with you on this one buddy. This will be my first year wearing a safety harness.

I always wear a harness bud.......haven't been in a situation yet that it ever limited me while shooting as long as I planned ahead. Glad to hear you'll be wearing one. Really, even if you don't wear one for yourself, you should do it for your wife and kids.:way:

 

[JakeWym]

Scary stuff for sure. I hope everyone wears a vest of some type this year.

 

[blake]

Wisdom or common sense......A simple rope and a prusik knot might prevent you from landing on your head..........just something to think about.:way:

Smart move Jamie! :way:

I put fall arrest systems on all of my stands. Sure does make a person feel more secure when climbing up & climbing down from the treestand.

The following is a link to where I purchased my Military style rope for my FAS:

[URL="http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/3-rolls-of-50-nylon-utility-rope-desert-camo.aspx?a=277181"]www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/3-rolls-of-50-nylon-utility-rope-desert-camo.aspx?a=277181[/URL]

 

[shrek1]

Hunter safety Systems has a nice set up on the market for this now too. Use your linesman belt on the way up and hang your life line. Hook on to the life line and your never "unhooked".

 

[PYBucks]

How are you guys securing the rope at the bottom of the tree?

 

[Iowabowtech]

How are you guys securing the rope at the bottom of the tree?

Can't speak for everyone but a buddy of mine was talking of a similar setup he's buying and it used a stake for the ground.

 

[Willie]

Critter and Blake, what sizes of rope are you using? Do you use the same diameter for the main line and also the prussic knot?

 

[Critter]

How are you guys securing the rope at the bottom of the tree?

All I did was tie it off to the bottom tree peg so it wouldn't come loose when sliding the prusik knot up. I didn't want anything real permanent as I knew the tree would grow and stretch the rope.

 

[Critter]

Critter and Blake, what sizes of rope are you using? Do you use the same diameter for the main line and also the prussic knot?

Not exactly sure of the size of the main line.......I'm guessing 1/2 inch or slightly larger. I bought a bunch of it from a military surplus place; it's braided, and strong. The prusik knots are made from 7mm climbing cord that I bought from Fin and Feather in Iowa City. I don't believe you want the two ropes the same size. ( the prusik should be smaller ) I put them all up today, and they seem to work well. Hopefully I never get to test them out for certain.

 

[Willie]

Hopefully I never get to test them out for certain.

I hope you don't either. Thanks! :way:

 

[blake]

Not to start an argument, but I have always used the same 3/8 rope to tie my prussic knots that I use for the fall arrest line. It works great!

I tie the bottom of the fall arrest line to a screw-in-tree step; screwed into the base of the tree. Make sure the line is fairly taught.